A small chiral object that is hotter or colder than the surrounding vacuum should experience a spontaneous quantum torque and spin with an observable terminal angular velocity.
Vacuum torque, propulsive forces, and anomalous tangential forces: Effects of nonreciprocal media out of thermal equilibrium
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abstract
From the generalized fluctuation-dissipation theorem, it is known that a body at rest made of nonreciprocal material may experience a torque, even in vacuum, if it is not in thermal equilibrium with its environment. However, it does not experience self-propulsion in such circumstances, except in higher order. Nevertheless, such a body may experience both a normal torque and a lateral force when adjacent to an ordinary surface with transverse translational symmetry. We explore how these phenomena arise, discuss what terminal velocities might be achieved, and point out some of the limitations of applying our results to observations, including the Lorenz-Lorentz correction, and the cooling due to radiation. In spite of these limitations, the effects discussed would seem to be observable.
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Perspectives on Quantum Friction, Self-Propulsion, and Self-Torque
A small chiral object that is hotter or colder than the surrounding vacuum should experience a spontaneous quantum torque and spin with an observable terminal angular velocity.